About the book

Seymour isn't cool, but he isn't a geek either. He's a lonely, obedient 8th grade loser at Glendale, a second tier prep school in Manhattan. His chubbiness has recently earned him the nick name "Chunk Style" and he has resigned himself to a life of isolation. All of this is about to change.After successfully getting himself expelled from every reputable school in the country, Elliot Allagash, the arrogant heir of America's largest fortune, finds himself marooned at Glendale. Try as he may, Elliot cannot get expelled this time; his father has donated too much money. Bitter and bored, Elliot decides to amuse himself by taking up a new hobby: transforming Seymour into the most popular student in school.An unlikely friendship develops between these two loners as Elliot introduces Seymour to new concepts, like power, sabotage and vengeance. With Elliot as his diabolical guide, Seymour gradually learns about all of the incredible things that money can buy, and the one or two things that it can't. Hilarious, ingenious and tightly plotted, Elliot Allagash reminds you what your teens were like, and why growing up is so hard to do.

About the author

Simon Rich writes for the popular TV sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, where his sketches have starred celebrities from Justin Timberlake to Anne Hathaway. He is also a screenwriter as well as the author of two humour collections, Free Range Chickens and Ant Farm (the latter was nominated for the prestigious 2008 Thurber Prize). His work has often appeared in The New Yorker and his short story "Strong and Mighty Men" won the Harvard short story prize. He graduated from Harvard University, where he was president of The Harvard Lampoon. Rich is 25 years old and Elliot Allagash is his first novel.

Reviews

A sharp, clever, blisteringly funny debut.

- Kate Saunders, The Times

A hilarious, high-spirited and hormone-fuelled romp through teenage angst and offbeat antics.

- Monocle

A fantastically ingenious and unique approach to the tale of a turning worm.

- Imogen Russell-Williams, Guardian

Clueless for boys... suspect that, if he had a literary ancestor in mind as he charted Seymour Herson's rise, it was not Austen or [Amy] Heckerling, but Evelyn Waugh... ...studded with rococo set pieces of ruthless masculine one-upmanship... a joy to read...Open the book on the beach or by the lake, and shed a crocodile tear, if you can muster one, for the craven ambition of youth.

- Liesl Schillinger, The Daily Beast

I found Simon Rich's first novel, about an evil teenage billionaire, to be suspenseful and hilarious. I am so glad I don't have to lie in this blurb like I usually do

- Judd Apatow, Producer of Superbad

About the book

Seymour isn't cool, but he isn't a geek either. He's a lonely, obedient 8th grade loser at Glendale, a second tier prep school in Manhattan. His chubbiness has recently earned him the nick name "Chunk Style" and he has resigned himself to a life of isolation. All of this is about to change.After successfully getting himself expelled from every reputable school in the country, Elliot Allagash, the arrogant heir of America's largest fortune, finds himself marooned at Glendale. Try as he may, Elliot cannot get expelled this time; his father has donated too much money. Bitter and bored, Elliot decides to amuse himself by taking up a new hobby: transforming Seymour into the most popular student in school.An unlikely friendship develops between these two loners as Elliot introduces Seymour to new concepts, like power, sabotage and vengeance. With Elliot as his diabolical guide, Seymour gradually learns about all of the incredible things that money can buy, and the one or two things that it can't. Hilarious, ingenious and tightly plotted, Elliot Allagash reminds you what your teens were like, and why growing up is so hard to do.

About the author

Simon Rich writes for the popular TV sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, where his sketches have starred celebrities from Justin Timberlake to Anne Hathaway. He is also a screenwriter as well as the author of two humour collections, Free Range Chickens and Ant Farm (the latter was nominated for the prestigious 2008 Thurber Prize). His work has often appeared in The New Yorker and his short story "Strong and Mighty Men" won the Harvard short story prize. He graduated from Harvard University, where he was president of The Harvard Lampoon. Rich is 25 years old and Elliot Allagash is his first novel.

Reviews

A sharp, clever, blisteringly funny debut.

- Kate Saunders, The Times

A hilarious, high-spirited and hormone-fuelled romp through teenage angst and offbeat antics.

- Monocle

A fantastically ingenious and unique approach to the tale of a turning worm.

- Imogen Russell-Williams, Guardian

Clueless for boys... suspect that, if he had a literary ancestor in mind as he charted Seymour Herson's rise, it was not Austen or [Amy] Heckerling, but Evelyn Waugh... ...studded with rococo set pieces of ruthless masculine one-upmanship... a joy to read...Open the book on the beach or by the lake, and shed a crocodile tear, if you can muster one, for the craven ambition of youth.

- Liesl Schillinger, The Daily Beast

I found Simon Rich's first novel, about an evil teenage billionaire, to be suspenseful and hilarious. I am so glad I don't have to lie in this blurb like I usually do